Col. John Miller, 2009 Denig winner dies suddenly

Col. John Grider Miller (USMC Ret.)

Col. John Grider Miller (USMC Ret.)

Retired Marine Colonel John Grider Miller, selected as this year’s recipient of the Brig. Gen. Robert L. Denig Memorial Distinguished Performance Award, died suddenly at his home in Annapolis, MD on Monday, August 31.

Miller was to have received our prestigious award on September 17 at our annual Merit Awards Banquet in Hampton, VA.  Cause of death is not known at this time.  Funeral arrangements will be announced as they are received.

Colonel Miller has been one of the Corps most prolific writers as Deputy Director of History and Museums and as speechwriter to three Commandants.  Following retirement he served 15 years as Managing Editor of the U. S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings Magazine.   He is best known for his book, Bridge at Dong Ha – the John Ripley story – optioned as a motion picture.  At his death he was engaged in writing a history of the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. 

(more…)

Pictorial: Carfrey, Lisbon, Johnson-Campbell, Lisbon

Pictorial 1st Place -  LCpl. Bryan G. Carfrey: Spectators were able to walk through the Healing Field flag display near the Pentagon Memorial prior to the dedication ceremony Sept. 11. The flag display was sponsored by the nonprofit Healing Field Foundation. Each flag represents someone who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Pictorial 1st Place - LCpl. Bryan G. Carfrey: Spectators were able to walk through the Healing Field flag display near the Pentagon Memorial prior to the dedication ceremony Sept. 11. The flag display was sponsored by the nonprofit Healing Field Foundation. Each flag represents someone who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Pictorial 1st Place: LCpl. Bryan G. Carfrey

Pictorial 1st Place: LCpl. Bryan G. Carfrey

Category sponsored by Lee Tibbetts

1st Place: LCpl. Bryan G. Carfrey, Defense Media Activity, Marine Corps
The Pentagon was the setting for this dramatic shot of flags at the dedication of the 9/11 memorial. It was an emotional moment caught on camera as a single individual stood among the maze of red, white and blue.

2nd Place: GySgt. Bill Lisbon, MCAS Yuma

Honorable Mention: Sgt. Ray Lewis, 1st Marine Division

Honorable Mention: Cpl. PatrickM. Johnson-Campbell, 26th MEU

Honorable Mention: GySgt. Bill Lisbon, MCAS Yuma

More award-winning images can be seen below

(more…)

Portrait Personality: Kleinsmith, Cabrera

Portrait Personality 1st Place - Sgt. Alex Kleinsmith: A grandmother holds her grandson while watching Marines from 3rd Low Altitde Air Defense Battalion during a civil affairs mission to Chebellier, a village in the outskirts of Djibouti City, Africa.

Portrait Personality 1st Place - Sgt. Alex Kleinsmith: A grandmother holds her grandson while watching Marines from 3rd Low Altitde Air Defense Battalion during a civil affairs mission to Chebellier, a village in the outskirts of Djibouti City, Africa.

1st Place: Sgt. Alex Kleinsmith, 1st Marine Logistics Group
This black-and-white closeup of a baby in the town square of Chebellier, Djibouti, illustrated the sharp contrast between the adult’s weathered hand and the child’s smooth face, seemingly a testament to the harsh terrain and the struggles of living in extreme poverty.

2nd Place: Sgt. Alex Kleinsmith, 1st MLG

Honorable Mention: LCpl. Joseph Cabrera, MCB Okinawa

More award-winning images can be seen below

(more…)